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"Katy, Hannah and Mary"

This photograph identifies the women only as Katy, Hannah, and Mary. Over half—53%—of all Irish immigrants who came to the United States were women.  By comparison, only 41% of German emigrants were female.  Among Southern Italians, who immigrated in a later period, women comprised a mere 21% of migrants.  Most Irish women left in the aftermath of the potato famine (1845-1855) when millions were facing starvation if they stayed in Ireland.  Letters from friends and family who had already emigrated indicated that there was ample job work in the United States for Irish women as domestic servants.

Source | "Katy, Hannah, and Mary," in Kerby Miller and Paul Wagner, Out of Ireland: The Story of Irish Emigration to America (Washington, DC: Elliott & Clark, 1994) 78.
Creator | Unknown
Item Type | Photograph
Cite This document | Unknown, “"Katy, Hannah and Mary",” SHEC: Resources for Teachers, accessed March 29, 2024, https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/1055.

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